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Don Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth (born September 13, 1937) is an American animator, director, producer, writer, production designer, video game designer and independent studio owner who is known for his departure from Walt Disney Animation Studios in September 1978 and his subsequent directing of animated feature films such as The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986), The Land Before Time (1988), All Dogs go To Heaven (1989) and Anastasia (1997), and his involvement in the laserdisc videogame Dragon's Lair. He is also known for competing with Disney during the years leading up to the films that would make up the Disney Reaissance. His movies tend toward rougher and more energetic portrayals than that of Disney films. Often, his films include a mystical element with mysterious, unexplainable forces at work throughout. He was the older sibling of the late Toby Bluth. Early Life and Disney years Bluth was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Emaline (née Pratt) and Virgil Ronceal Bluth. His great-grandfather was Heleman Pratt, an early leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,and 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney is a distant relative. He is of English, Scottish and German descent As a child in El Paso he rode his horse to the town movie theater to watch Disney films; Bluth said later, "then I'd go home and copy every Disney comic book I could find". At the age of six his family moved to Payson, Utah where he lived on a family farm. In 1954 at the age of 17 his family moved to Santa Monica, California where he attended his final year of high school. Bluth attended Brigham Young University in Utah for one year and after got a job at Walt Disey Productions. He started in 1955 as an assistant to John Lounsbery for Sleeping Beauty. In 1957 Bluth left Disney only two years after being hired. Afterwards Bluth spent two and a half years in Argentina on a mission fo rthe LDS Church He returned to the United States where he opened the Bluth Brothers Theater with his younger brother Fred, though he occasionally worked for Disney. Bluth returned to college and got a degree in English Literature from Brigham Young. Bluth returned to the animation business and joined Filmation Associates in 1967 working on layouts for a television animation adaptation of The Archie Comics and other projects. He returned full-time to Disney in 1971 where he worked on Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!, The Rescuers and directing animation on Pete's Dragon. His last involvement with Disney was the 1978 short The Small One. Then he made and produced his first short, Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979), which takes place in his hometown Payson, Utah during the 1940s as Banjo travels to Salt Lake City, Utah to find the urban world. Independent Years Early Critical Sucess On his 42nd birthday in 1979, Don Bluth, with Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy, and a cadre of 16 fellow Disney animators, set out to start his own animation studio, Don Bluth Productions. He drew a few (uncredited) scenes for The Fox and The Hound (1981) and The Black Cauldron (1985) but left early in production. Bluth was disheartened with the way the Disney company was run. He wanted to revive the classical animation style of the Disney studio's early classics. To this end, his studio, Don Bluth Productions, demonstrated its ability in its first production, a short film titled Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979), and this led to work on an animated segment of the live-action musical feature film Xanadu (1980). The studio's first feature-length film was The Secret of NIMH (1982), an adaptation of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, the 1972 Newbery Medal winner. Bluth employed 160 animators during the production and agreed to the first profit sharing contract in the animation industry. Though a moderate success in the box office, the movie received critical acclaim. Later, with the home video release and cable showings, it became a cult classic. Nevertheless, due to its modest result in the box office, and an industry wide animation strike, the Don Bluth Productions filed for "bankruptcy"! His next film would have been an animated version of the Norwegian folk tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, but was never made when the financial resources were drawn back. In 1983 teaming with Rick Dyer, from Advanced Microcomputer Systems, Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy started the Bluth Group and created the groundbreaking laserdisc video arcade game (Dragon's Lair which let the player control a cartoon-animated character on screen (whose adventures were played off a laserdisc). This was followed in 1984 by Space Ace, a Science-Fiction-based laserdisc video arcade game based on the same technology, but which gave the player a choice of different routes to take through the story. Bluth not only created the animation for Space Ace, but he also supplied the voice of the villain, Borf. Work on a Dragon's Lair sequel was underway when the video arcade business crashed. Bluth's studio was left without a source of income and the Bluth Group filed for bankruptcy on March 1, 1985 However, a sequel called Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp was made in 1991 but was rarely seen in arcades (including, on Bancy's suggestion, some "Chuck E. Cheese's" family entertainment centers and some independent "Chuck E. Cheese" clones) In 1985 Bluth, Pomeroy and Goldman established, with businessman Morris Sullivan. Sullivan Bluth Studios initially operated from an animation facility in Van Nuys, California but later moved to Dublin, Ireland to take advantage of government investment and incentives. Bluth and his colleagues taught an animation course at Ballyfermot Senior College. Affiliation with Steven Spielberg Teaming up with producer Steven Spielberg, Don Bluth's next project was An American Tail (1986), which at the time of its release became the highest grossing non-Disney animated film of all time, grossing $45 million in the United States and over $84 million worldwide.The second Spielberg-Bluth collaboration The Land Before Time (1988) did even better in theaters and both found a successful life in home video The main character in An American Tail (Fievel Mouskewitz) became the mascot for Amblimation while The Land Before Time was followed by twelve direct-to-video sequels. Bluth broke with Spielberg before his next film, All Dogs go To Heaven (1989). (Bluth was not involved with the Spielberg-produced An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, released in 1991.) Although All Dogs Go To Heaven had moderate theatrical success, it was highly successful in its release to home video, becoming a "cult classic". Like The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH and An American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven was followed by a theatrical sequel, a television series, and a Christmas Carol adaptation, none of which Bluth and his studio had involvement with. Through the 1990s, other Don Bluth films such as Rock-A-Doodle (1991), Thumbelina (1994), A Troll in Central Park (1994), and The Pebble and The Penguin (1995) were critical and box office failures. Work at Fox Animation Studios Bluth scored a hit with Anastasia (1997), which grossed nearly US $140 million worldwide and gained favorable critical reviews. It employed well-known Hollywood stars as voice talent and used then-common animated film tropes: a sassy and resourceful princess driven to become more than she is, a cruel and conniving villain who uses dark magic, a handsome and endearing love interest, and a comic-relief sidekick. Anastasia was produced at Fox Animation Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and its success establishes 20th Century Fox Studios as a Disney competitor Still, Don Bluth's troubles continued when he directed the futuristic space adventure Titan A.E. (2000). The movie made less than $37 million worldwide despite an estimated $75 million budget and was the last traditionally animated film released by 20th Century Fox in theaters until the release of 2007's The Simpsons Movie. In 2000, after the studio's last film, Titan A.E., 20th Century Fox Studios shut down the Fox Animation Studio facility in Phoenix. Recent Work An attempt to capitalize on Dragon's Lair nostalgia by releasing the videog game Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to The Lair (2002) yielded mixed results, with critics both praising and panning the controls and storyline. However, the visuals were widely enjoyed, using groundbreaking cel-shading techniques that lent the game a hand-animated feel.As of 2012, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman are seeking funding for a film version of Dragon's Lair. Bluth and Goldman continued to work in video games and were hired to create the in-game cinematics for Namco's I-Ninja released in 2003. In 2004, Don Bluth did the animation for the Music Video, "Mary", by the Scissor Sistetd The band contacted Bluth after having recalled fond memories of the sequence from Xanadu. In 2009, Bluth was asked to produce storyboards for, and to direct, the 30-minute Saudi Arabian festival film Gift of the Hoopoe. He ultimately had little say in the animation and content of the film, and asked that he not be credited as the director or producer. Nonetheless, he was credited as the director, possibly to improve the film's sales by attaching his name. On February 3, 2011, it was announced that Bluth and his game development company Square One Studios were working with Warner Bros. Digital Distribution to develop a modern reinterpretation of the 1983 arcade classic Tapper, titled Tapper Wold Tour On March 22, 2011, Anastasia was released to Blu-Ray Disc. The high-charting release and an increase in sales for other Don Blut titles, has sparked interest for a return to his as-yet unconfirmed 12th directorial feature. As an Author Don Bluth has authored a series of books for students of animation: 2004's The Art of Storyboard,(2004) and The Art of Animation Drawing.(2005) Additional books are planned. As an Educator In early 2009, Don Bluth launched his website, DonBluthAnimation.com, in which he focuses on animation education through video tutorials, short films and live video seminars. As a Theater Director Don Bluth currently runs an Adult and Youth Theatre in Arizona, called Don Bluth Front Row Theatre. Filmography of The REAL World This ACTUAL Filmography shows content from Don Bluth courtesy of Disney, Don Bluth Films Limited and Other Studios. Director *101 Dalmatians (1961, Feature Film - Assistant Director (Uncredited)) *The Sword in The Stone (1963, Feature Film - Assistant Director (Uncredited)) *Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979, Short Film - Director (also an Animator)) *The Secret of NIMH (1982, Feature Film) *An American Tail (1986, Feature Film) *The Land Before Time (1988, Feature Film (also Co-Storyboard Artist and Production Designer) *All Dogs go To Heaven (1989, Feature Film) *Rock-A-Doodle (1991, Feature Film) *Thumbelina (1994, Feature Film) *A Troll in Central Park (1994, Feature Film) *The Pebble and The Penguin (1995, Feature Film (Don Bluth's Last Animated Feature using Inked & Painted Cels)) *Anastasia (1997) *Bartok the Magnificent (1999) *Titan A.E. (2000) Animator *Sleeping Beauty (1959, Feature Film - Assistant Animator for John Lounsbery (Uncredited)) *Robin Hood (1973, Feature Film - Animator) *Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too! (1974, Short Film - Animator) *Journey Back to Oz (1974, Feature Film - Layout Artist) *The Rescuers (1977, Feature Film - Animator) *Pete's Dragon (1977, Live-Action/Animated Feature Film - Animation Director) *Banjo the Woodpile Cat (1979, Short Film - Animator (also a Director)) *Xanadu (1980, Live-Action Feature Film - Animated Sequence Unit: Don Bluth Productions) *The Fox and The Hound (1981, Feature Film - Animator (Uncredited)) *The Black Cauldron (1985, Feature Film - Animator (Uncredited)) *The Fantastic World of Hanna-Barbera (1990, Theme Park Ride - Animation Director: Sullivan Bluth Animation Studios) *The Scissor Sisters: Mary (2004, Music Video - Animated Sequence Unit: Don Bluth Films) Television Work *Popeye the Sailor (1960-1962 - Animation Director: Jack Kinney Productions) *Fantastic Voyage (1968 - Layout Artist) *Archie and His New Pals (1969 - Layout Artist) *Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down (1970 - Layout Artist) *Sabrina and The Groovie Goolies (1970 - Layout Artist) *The Electric Company (1971-1977 - Layout Artist (Uncredited)) *Dragon's Lair (1983 - Animation Style) *Space Ace (1984 - Animation Style) *Disney's Wuzzles (1985 - Director on a few episodes) Video Game Work *Dragon's Lair (1983) *Space Ace (1984) *Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp (1991) *Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to The Lair (2002) *Tapper World Tour (2010) Filmography of The BancyTOON Universe This FANFIC Filmography shows fanfic content from Don Bluth. * One Crazy Road Trip (2017 - Animation Director and Animator: Andrew Steiner Productions) * Doris Deer's Sneezing Accident (2018 - Assistant Animator: "Hubie" and "Rocko") Category:REAL-WORLD Animators Category:Michael's Favorite Articles